Research
Projects
Research themes, current directions, and application-facing manufacturing work.
The group works across process development, materials response, metrology, and manufacturing translation. This page highlights the main themes that shape the lab’s current work and the kinds of engineering problems we are interested in solving.
The common thread through these projects is process capability: understanding how a manufacturing method behaves, how it can be controlled, and how it can be trusted when the performance of the final component matters.
Additive Manufacturing
Work in additive manufacturing focuses on process understanding, surface integrity, qualification, and post-processing routes for components that need repeatable performance in demanding environments.
- part quality and feature fidelity
- surface and subsurface condition
- post-processing and finishing strategies
- qualification-oriented process development
Electrochemical Jet Processing
Electrochemical jet processing is a major area of activity in the lab, with work spanning machine architecture, process mapping, geometry control, and functional surface generation.
- programmable micro-machining
- surface texturing and edge shaping
- repeatability and process windows
- translation to industrial tooling
Structured and Stochastic Materials
The lab also develops architected and stochastic material systems where geometry can be used deliberately to influence lightweighting, stiffness, and broader mechanical response.
- stochastic lattice generation
- analysis-informed geometry design
- manufacturability of complex structures
- property tailoring through morphology
Measurement and Manufacturing Insight
Many projects combine processing with quantitative inspection, mapping, and analysis so that engineering decisions are grounded in what the process is actually doing rather than what it is assumed to be doing.
- metrology-led process evaluation
- data-rich experimental workflows
- surface and geometry characterisation
- evidence for qualification and deployment
Current Featured Directions
Two especially visible strands of work at the moment are stochastic lattice design and electrochemical jet processing. Both are good examples of the way the lab operates: mechanism-informed research, strong experimental grounding, and a clear route toward practical manufacturing use.
